The Curse Of The Dragon
by No Guns Only Roses
Summary: A terrifying and powerful dragon suddenly appears in New York, challenging the Turtles to a fight. But for what purpose? Who is the "Worthy One"? And is this dragon truly a monster?
1. Chapter 1

_For centuries, I have traveled around the world searching for a warrior worthy enough to break the demon's curse. Thus far, my efforts have been fruitless. But I refuse to give up hope. I will not let the demon win. Perhaps I will find the Worthy One in the City That Never Sleeps..._

It was a typical Monday morning for a certain white-collar worker. He took a sip of his favorite yet overpriced coffee as he waited for the train to arrive. Although he hated taking the subway, it was certainly a lot cheaper than paying a taxi cab driver to take him to work. A low, rumbling sound could be heard down the tunnel.

"Finally," he mumbled to himself as the rumbling grew louder and louder.

But what came out of the tunnel wasn't the train. Something much bigger sped past him at an incredible speed, the wind nearly knocking him off his feet and causing him to drop his coffee cup. He could've sworn that he saw a dash of black and white...

* * *

"Come on...come on! Almost...YEEE-AH BOIIII!"

Mikey jumped off the couch and did a victory dance, having finally defeated the final boss, Mogarth the evil dragon. He had spent the last two hours trying to beat his newest game, _Slay The Dragon III._ "You just got owned, Mogarth!" He pointed at the T.V screen. "No one can defeat the all-powerful and awesome Sir-"

" _MIKEY!_ "

"Ulp!" Mikey whimpered and tightened his grip on the game controller. There was another terrible beast coming after him.

Leo looked up from the pinball machine. "Geez, Mikey, what'd you do _this_ time?"

Before Mikey could answer, a large banging sound caused them to both jump, and sure enough, Raph stomped into the living room and stood in front of the cowering freckled Turtle. He angrily shoved a magazine in Mikey's face.

"What did I tell you about touching my _Modern Ninja Magazine_ collection?!" he shouted.

"Really, Raph?" Leo rolled his eyes. "This again? Look, it's-"

"Don't even start with that 'it's just meager possessions' crap, Leo!" Raph cut him off. "This is the fifth time this month he's ruined my stuff!"

" _Your_ stuff?" Mikey raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, _my_ stuff!" Raph growled.

"Well, I don't see your _name_ on it, do I?" Mikey dared to teased the already P.O'd Turtle.

Leo couldn't help but cover his mouth with his hand in shock and disbelief. _Oh, Mikey is so dead._

Raph's eye twitched and his lips curled into a snarl. He raised his rolled up magazine over his head, preparing to unleash his wrath upon Mikey, who squeaked and covered his head with his arms in defense.

"Guys! Check this out!" Donnie's voice called out from inside the lab.

Mikey let out a sigh of relief as Raph reluctantly lowered his weapon and followed Leo into the lab. _Thank you, God._

Donnie sat at his desk, turning the laptop so that his brothers could read the screen. "It seems we have another mutant problem in the subway," he said. "It's all over the news." Leo, Raph, and Mikey all leaned in to get a better look at the photo that was being shown to them. It was blurry, but they could make out the silhouette of a serpent-like creature.

"Whoa," Mikey whispered in awe. "Freaky."

Raph squinted his eyes as he leaned in closer. "The heck is that thing?"

"It almost looks like...a dragon," Leo said.

"A dragon?" Mikey's eyes sparkled. "Really? That's so cool!"

"It might not be an actual dragon," Donnie rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Probably just another mutant. But whatever it is, it certainly is fast. According to the witnesses in the subway, this things moves at a speed about twice as that of the trains."

"You think it's dangerous?" Leo asked his genius brother.

"It hasn't posed a threat to anyone," Donnie said. "Yet."

"Well, I say we get to the bottom of this. Mutant or not, it could be dangerous. Donnie, call April and Casey. We're going into the subway to find this thing."

"Aw, yeah!" Mikey pumped his fists in the air. "We're going dragon hunting! This will totally be like the game, _Slay The Dragon III_! Evil dragon, beware!" Mikey got into a dramatic pose and pointed to the ceiling. He imagined himself wearing golden armor like the character he played in the game, standing on top of the fallen Mogarth. "Sir Michelangelo is here!"

"If it _is_ a dragon," Raph mumbled nervously, "then let's hope we don't get burnt to a crisp."

* * *

The Turtles, plus April and Casey, searched for the mysterious creature in the subway tunnels, using their flashlights to guide them through the darkness. Most of the subway stations had been temporarily closed due to the creature's sudden appearance, so the team took the opportunity to venture into the abandoned tunnels.

Several rats scurried past Casey's feet, causing him to flip out and scream.

"Shhh!" April harshly shushed him. "Casey!"

"Well, I can't help it!" Casey pouted. "There's like a billion rats in here!"

"Yeah," Raph glared at Casey, "and a dragon that might find us and roast us all alive if you don't _shut_ it!"

Donnie walked ahead of the team, using his newly built night vision goggles to search for any sign of the dragon.

"You see anything, Donnie?" Leo asked him.

" _Nada_ ," Donnie quietly said. "It might not even be in the subway anymore."

Casey was greatly relieved by that, wanting to get out of the subway as soon as possible. "Oh, well, in that case, let's head on back."

"We might as well," Leo sighed. "We need to clear out before the humans find us."

They started to head in the other direction when a low growling sound echoed down the tunnel.

"Did you guys hear that?" Leo whispered as he reached behind him to grab the handle of one of his swords.

"Who _didn't_ hear that?" Raph gripped both of his sai. The others pulled out their weapons, as well, readying themselves for whatever lurked in the dark tunnels.

A pair of red glowing eyes stared at them at the end of the tunnel. They got larger as the sound of stomping feet grew louder, and the ground shook below their feet at each step.

Mikey's heart pounded as the creature got closer. _You got this, Mikey. You're Sir Michelangelo, after all! If you can beat Mogarth, you can beat this thing! You can do this! You can do this! You-_

A giant black scaled claw reached out of the shadows.

 _Oh...I can't do this!_

The face of the creature was finally revealed. It resembled that of an Asian dragon, with long tendrils along its snout, a flowing white mane, mighty stag antlers, ears of an ox, and shiny black scales covering its body, though the scales on the bottom of its neck and belly were pearl colored. As it opened its jaws, smoke came out and a terrifying growl filled their ears.

All of them were shaking with fear, but Leo was the first to bravely step forward and face the dragon, his swords drawn out.

"We don't want any trouble!" Leo did his best to hide the fear in his voice and facial expression. "Just tell us what you want!"

For a moment, the dragon only leaned in and stared at the leader with its large red eyes, studying him. Leo wondered if it could talk or even understand what he was saying.

Then its lips curled into a snarl and a long forked tongue slithered out of its jaws.

"I assume you are all warriors?" it spoke in a chilling androgynous voice.

"Wait," Donnie looked at the dragon astounded. "You can talk?"

"So what are you?" April nervously asked. "A mutant?"

The dragon did not answer her, but only stomped thunderously toward them. Leo immediately pointed his swords at the beast and stood protectively in front of his family.

"Don't come any closer!" he shouted.

The dragon blew hot air out of its nostrils, and Leo's eyes burned as it hit his face.

"Do you really believe that your blades can pierce through my armor?" the dragon hissed.

Leo gulped and took a step backwards. "Wh-what you are you-?"

"Let us find out, shall we?"

No sooner did the dragon say those words than it breathed fire out of its mouth. Leo dodged the flames just in time.

"WAIT!" Leo pleaded. "We don't want to fight! We just want to-Oof!"

The dragon's tail hit Leo with full force and knocked him off his feet. The Turtle landed painfully on his shell, and Raph and Mikey immediately came to his side while Donnie, Casey, and April stood in front of the trio, facing the giant serpent.

"You have no choice, warrior," the dragon growled. "You must either fight...or perish."

"But why?!" April demanded.

"Yeah, what did we ever do to you?!" Casey joined in.

Instead of answering their questions, the dragon opened its jaws and charged at them. They quickly got out of the way and the large massive teeth latched themselves into the track. When the dragon lifted its head, the rails were still stuck in its teeth, like braces.

"Ha ha!" Mikey laughed and pointed at the dragon. "Braceface!"

The dragon angrily spat the metal out and swiped at the group with its claws.

"Still want to play the pacifist, Leo?" Raph sacrcastically asked his leader.

"We have no choice," Leo huffed before pointing his sword at the creature. "LET'S GET HIM!"

Casey was the first to reach the dragon and he swung his hockey stick...which broke in half as soon as it hit the creature's body. "Uh-oh," Casey muttered before being knocked aside and crashing into Raph, the both of them falling to the ground.

Donnie realized that the bo staff itself wouldn't be enough to inflict damage and activated the blade at the end. He aimed the Naginata at the dragon's chest...only to miss as the dragon dodged at an incredible speed and then knocked him to the ground with his tail.

"BOOYAKASHA!"

Mikey jumped onto the dragon's long slender neck and climbed onto its head. The dragon felt the Turtle on its head and began to writhe and thrash wildly. It constantly bumped its head onto the walls as it continued to struggle. Having had enough and realizing that the subway was too small, the creature crashed into the ceiling, creating a huge hole. The dragon flew through the opening and out into the surface, taking Mikey with it.

"WHHOOOOA!" Mikey screamed as he was flung from the dragon's snout and landed right into a heap of garbage bags. "Eeugh! Oh, I get it. You're tossing me aside like 'garbage'. Gee, didn't know you were a funny dragon," he muttered the last sentence.

"Mikey!" Said Turtle turned to see Leo and Raph running toward him. The eldest knelt down and looked at the youngest worriedly.

"You okay, little brother?" Leo asked him.

"Yeah," Mikey mumbled. "I'm not hurt much, but it'll take me weeks to get the smell out."

"I dunno," Raph gave him a teasing smirk. "You actually smell better than before."

The dragon landed on all four of its feet and started to stomp toward the Turtles...only to be pulled back by an invisible force.

April used her powers to prevent the dragon from going any further. When the creature realized who was keeping it back, it opened its mouth to spit a huge fireball at the kunoichi.

She quickly put a force field around her, but in doing so let go of her telekinetic grip on the dragon, which used the distraction as the perfect opportunity to lash at her with its tail. April was knocked into the side of a building and lost consciousness.

"APRIL!" "RED!" Both Donnie and Casey ran to their fallen friend and checked her over.

The dragon snorted and shook its head. "Is there no one here worthy enough to defeat me? Perhaps I am wasting my time here in this filthy city-"

Someome let out a war cry and the dragon turned its head to see Leo charging at it with both of his swords out. The dragon's eyes widened as it watched the blades shine under the magnificent moonlight. _Could he be the One...?_

Leo stabbed at the dragon's chest...which was like stabbing at a brick wall and the impact pushed him backward with great force. The leader skidded across the street on his shell like a stone across water.

Not a single cut had been made by Leo's swords. The dragon was greatly disappointed. "Just as I thought," it said as it slowly walked over to Leo. "You are not worthy. Your spirit is strong and willing, but it is not enough. Your blades cannot cut through my skin because you lack-"

Mikey swung his kusarigama at the dragon. A sickening slash sound was heard and the dragon let out a painful scream. It gripped its bleeding shoulder and looked down at the little one in shock.

Mikey, himself, couldn't believe what had just happened. How could the blades of his kusarigama cut the dragon when Leo's swords couldn't?

"Holy cow," Casey's jaw dropped. "Dude! How did you do that?"

"I dunno," Mikey squeaked.

The dragon leaned in closer toward Mikey and was...smiling? "Finally," it whispered. "After years of searching, I have finally found you...Worthy One."

Mikey looked up at the creature confused. "Worthy One?"

Leo stepped in between the two, shielding his baby brother from the monster. "We're leaving! Right now!" The others quickly joined the two Turtles and formed a protective circle around them. "Donnie! Get us out of here!"

The genius of the family pulled out a smoke bomb.

The dragon's eyes widened in horror and he desperately reached for them with its claw. " **NO!** "

It was too late. The group disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

The dragon stared at the spot where they stood for a while before lifting its head and howling in despair and rage under the full moon.


	2. Chapter 2

_T_ _he raging blue flames surrounded the young woman, but she showed no fear and faced her adversary. A looming shadowy figure stared down at her with red glowing eyes, his lips curving into a terrifying toothy smile._

 _" **You do not stand a chance against me, priestess** ," the figure said in a deep, inhuman voice. " **The locals were fools to place their faith in you**."_

 _"I will not be intimidated by your empty words, demon!" the priestess declared. She resumed the purification ritual and loudly chanted her prayers. The demon only mocked and laughed at her, and then she chanted even louder in an attempt to speak over him._

 _He suddenly grabbed her with his massive clawed hand and slowly tightened his grip on her. She could only breathe in short gasps as she felt the air being squeezed out of her lungs. The demon relished her suffering and smiled sadistically at her._

 _" **You humans are so foolish and arrogant. You think that by throwing salt at my feet and chanting a few pretty words, you can drive me**_ _ **away? You are not as potent and mighty as you think. But I can make you stronger than a thousand soldiers. I can make you immortal. I can make you...like us**." _

_The woman's heart started to race with fear as the demon opened his mouth, a blue light glowing deep down in his throat. Before she could scream or protest, the demon's fire burst out and completely engulfed her..._

* * *

"Take that! And that!"

Raph walked into the living room to find Mikey playing _Slay The Dragon III._ "Seriously, after we nearly lost our lives to a fire-breathing dragon?"

Mikey's eyes were still glued to the T.V. "Dude, this is the best dragon-slaying training program ever! And it obviously works, since _I_ was the only one who could hurt that dragon."

"You got lucky, that's all," Raph argued, sitting down on the couch next to him. "I mean, think about it. Your kusarigama is no sharper than Leo's katana. You must've hit a weak spot by chance or something."

This time Mikey paused the game and turned to face Raph, a smug look on his face. "You heard what the dragon said, bro: I'm the 'Worthy One'."

Raph rolled his eyes. "And what exactly does _that_ mean? Do you know? 'Cause I sure don't."

"I'll tell you what it means," Mikey stood up on the couch and got into his dramatic pose again.

 **(Cue the spotlight, falling sparkes, and angelic music.)**

"It means that fate has chosen me to save the world from the evil dragon. It means that I, alone, can vanquish the terrible beast and free New York of it's fiery reign of terror. For I am... **The** **Worthy One**."

Raph looked at Mikey like he was the biggest idiot in the universe, though he was also amused by Mikey's dramatic performance. "What movie did you get _that_ quote from? _Lord of the Rings_?"

"You're not going out there, Mikey."

Leo walked over to the couch, his arms crossed and a stern expression on his face.

Mikey looked up at him with sad puppy dog eyes. "Aww, come on! Why not?!"

"For some reason, the dragon wants _you_ , and we don't know what its intentions are. We can't risk you getting hurt."

"So what am supposed to do? Sit on my butt all night? You guys NEED me!"

Donnie stepped into the living room, holding a vial of retro-mutagen in his hand. "What we _need_ is a plan. I held onto a few vials of retro-mutagen for in case of emergencies. I guess now would be a good time to use one."

"We need to get close enough to the dragon to use the retro-mutagen on it," Leo explained. "We just received a message from April that the dragon was spotted again, this time near the Brooklyn Bridge."

"You still think it's a mutant?" Raph asked as he got off the couch.

"It's a possibility, Raph," Donnie said. "Let's just hope that this vial won't go to waste."

"And if it turns out to be a _real_ dragon and not a mutant?"

"Then we'll just have to think of another way to take it down," Leo said. "Right now, this is how we'll approach the problem."

"Hold up!" Mikey yelled. "Why not just use me as bait? It's _me_ the dragon wants, after all! Plus, you guys never had a problem using me as bait before," he sourly mumbled the last part.

"The answer is still no, Mikey," Leo sternly said. "You're staying here." He then turned to Raph and Donnie. "Let's get going, guys."

As the three older brothers walked out of the lair together, Mikey laid back in the couch, his arms crossed and a pouty look on his face. The game was still on pause, and his knight character was about to deliver the finishing blow to Mogarth the evil dragon.

His brothers could be so overprotective sometimes. That, and they lacked faith in their little brother. After all, how many times had he saved _their_ shells? If he could defeat and outsmart Kavaxas, the all-powerful lord of the demodragons, then he could certainly take on this overgrown lizard!

Mikey sighed in annoyance and picked up his game controller, pressing the button to resume the game. But nothing happened. The game was still paused. Mikey pressed the button again. Still nothing.

 _Huh. Game's probably frozen again._

He got up and walked over to the Zbox sitting on the floor next to the T.V, intending to restart the game. But just as he knelt down to push the power button on the game consule, the T.V suddenly turned off on its own.

"Aw, man!" Mikey whined as he slapped the side of the television. "Now the T.V's busted, too! Hopefully Donnie will-"

 ** _Please..._**

Mikey jumped at the woman's voice echoing inside his head. "Huh?"

 _ **You must help me...**_

He looked around him, but he did not see anybody in the living room. "Who's there?"

 ** _You're the only one who can help me...please..._**

"Um, help how?"

 ** _I will tell you everything once we meet face to face...Meet me at the Brooklyn Bridge..._**

"Brooklyn Bridge? But-but there's a dragon there! Can't we meet someplace, I dunno, safer?"

...

"Hello?"

...

Mikey scratched his head in confusion. Was he just hearing things? Or did someone really need his help?

* * *

The Ninja Turtle trio now stood on the beach directly under the Brooklyn Bridge. It was very quiet and the waters were calm and serene. There was no sign of the fire-breathing beast.

"Ugh!" Raph kicked the sand in aggravation. "Are we gonna wait all night for that stupid dragon to show?!"

"Raph, shh!" Leo shushed his hotheaded brother. "We need to be quiet!"

"You just love sayin' that, don't ya?"

"Raph, I mean it! Be-!"

"Um, guys?" Donnie interrupted, pointing to the underside of the bridge. "We've got company."

Like how a gecko sticks to a ceiling, the dragon had attached itself to the deck and stared down at the Turtles with its large red glowing eyes. It let go of the rails and swooped down on them, parting the waters as it dashed across. The earth shook as it thunderously landed a mere ten feet away from the Turtles, nearly causing them to topple to the ground.

The dragon glared down at them and snorted, smoke rising from its nostrils. "Where is the smaller one?" it demanded with a threatening growl.

Leo glared back up at the dragon, pulling out his swords. "You're not getting anywhere near Mikey!"

"Yeah!" Raph shouted. "You're gonna have to deal with us instead!"

In response, dragon started to claw at the beach, leaving enormous trails in the sand. "I have no time to deal with insignificant insects like you! It is of great importance that I meet with the Worthy One! Take me to him! **NOW**!" It opened its jaws and spat out a massive fireball.

The Turtles jumped out of the way and drew out their weapons.

"All right, team!" Leo shouted. "Remember the plan! GO!"

Raph and Leo circled around the dragon, who attempted to swipe and bite at them as they passed by. It was too distracted by Team A to notice Donnie pulling out a vial of retro-mutagen from under his belt.

"Please let this work," Donnie mumbled to himself before charging at the dragon. With all of his strength, he threw the vial at the dragon's face...

The vial shattered the moment it collided with the dragon's cheek. An orange liquid dripped down the dragon's chin, though the the monster didn't seem to be affected or experiencing any changes.

If anything, it grew even more aggravated and snarled at the Turtles.

"It's not working, Donnie!" Raph shouted out to his genius brother.

"We-we might need to get a larger quantity!" Donnie nervously explained.

The dragon whipped its head and looked down at him with fury blazing in its eyes.

"Um, heh, hello," Donnie squeaked before turning to run. But before he could get away, the dragon slammed its claw down on him, trapping and crushing him.

"DONNIE!" Leo and Raph ran to help their brother, but then the dragon hissed at them to stand back.

"I've had enough of your games!" the dragon snarled. "Tell me where the Worthy One is or I will _crush_ your friend!" It emphasized the word "crush" by applying a little more pressure. The brothers flinched as they heard a sickening crack, and Donnie screamed in pain.

"STOP IT!" Leo screamed desperately. "PLEASE!"

A whistle caught their attention and they all turned to see Mikey standing on the bridge.

"Yo, Barney!" Mikey called out to the dragon. "It's me you want, right? Well, come and get me!"

The dragon immediately let go of Donnie and dashed toward the freckled Turtle.

Mikey instantly regretted this decision. "Uh-oh," he whimpered as he turned and started to run down the street of the bridge. But unfortunately the dragon was much too quick for him and it grabbed Mikey in a tight hold.

Mikey screamed as the dragon carried him away into the clouds. He could see his brothers run after him on the beach down below, their screams fading as he and the dragon flew higher and higher...


	3. Chapter 3

_"Kill the dragon!"_

 _Over fifty of the emperor's finest warriors charged at the beast in the battlefield. The dragon snarled and hissed before craning its neck backwards and taking a deep breath. The moment it open its jaws, fire erupted out of its mouth and poured down upon the approaching soldiers. Many were burnt to death, but the remaining few continued to bravely charge at the monster._

 _They all stabbed at the creature, yet their blades could not cut through its strong armor. Annoyed, the dragon pushed them all aside and stomped toward a man who was sitting on his horse in the distance._

 _The emperor of Japan, himself._

 _"Come, Emperor!" the dragon demanded. "Do you not wish to slay me and display my carcass in your magnificent halls?!"_

 _The emperor pulled his sword out of his sheath. "If it is death you desire, dragon," he said as his pointed his weapon at the dragon, "then I shall be the one to grant it."_

 _He then made his horse gallop toward the beast, which let out a terrifying roar and dashed toward them..._

* * *

"Let me go, you ugly, smelly, disgusting, overgrown lizard!" Mikey continued to struggle in the dragon's grasp as they flew over a wide open field. The Turtle looked down and saw several cows and a small barn. _Are we even in New York anymore?_ He pondered.

The beast suddenly lowered itself to the ground and stopped flying, landing on its feet (excluding the one that held Mikey, of course). Mikey expected the dragon to either eat him at that moment or burn him to a crisp. Instead, to his surprise, the dragon gently dropped him and he landed unsteadily on his feet, the soft grain brushing against his legs. He lifted his head and stared up at the dragon in confusion.

"Um...so you're not gonna eat me?" he asked the monster.

"We will resume our battle here," the dragon said, "where no one will interrupt us."

"Ugh!" Mikey groaned. "Look! I don't _want_ to fight you, all right?! Sure, fighting dragons in _video games_ is fun, but in real life? It just plain sucks."

The dragon growled in anger and leaned in closer to Mikey, its red eyes bearing into his baby blue ones. "You _will_ fight me, Worthy One."

"NO!" Mikey shouted, defiantly glaring up at the dragon. "I said, I don't _want_ to! Besides, I don't have _time_ to fight you! There's someone out there who needs my help! I was gonna go look for her at the Brooklyn Bridge, but then you so _rudely_ kidnapped me!"

For a moment, the dragon remained silent, and its eyes and expression softened. Then it bowed its head low to the ground. "Please," it whispered with a bit of sadness in its voice. "You must help me. You're the only one who can help me."

Mikey's eyes widened. _Wait a minute..._

 ** _"Please...You must help me...You're the only one who can help me..."_**

"Wait," Mikey spoke quietly as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks, "that voice from earlier...that was _you_?"

The dragon lifted its head and looked at Mikey with sorrowful eyes. "Yes, I am the one who pleaded for your help."

"Oh wow! You can go into people's minds?! That's so cool! Can all dragons do that?"

"I am not a dragon."

"...Um, okay? So what are you? An overgrown, flying, fire-breathing gecko or something?"

"I know that you see a terrifying dragon, but hidden underneath these scales is a mortal woman."

"So you really are a mutant?"

The dragon shook her head. "This is not the work of science, but of dark magic. Many years ago, I was cursed by a powerful demon to live in this serpentine body for all eternity."

Mikey instantly felt sympathy for the woman/dragon. _Wow, a curse?_

"I suppose I deserved it," she sighed. "I have always been too arrogant for my own good. I will tell you the story of how I became like this, and then you will see why I ask for _your_ help..."

* * *

 _When I was a little girl, I discovered my ability to connect with spirits, both benevolent and malevolent. The priests of the temple recognized my gift and took me in, training me to become a_ miko _, a Shinto priestess. Over the years, I had traveled from one village to the next, cleansing houses and temples of evil spirits. There was not a single demon that I could not defeat, and unfortunately, I let that pride corrupt my heart and make me arrogant._

 _One day, I was approached by a group of men who begged me to banish a demon from their temple. I went in believing that I could cast out the evil spirit just as I did with the others in the past. But I...underestimated his power._

 _He overwhelmed me and I was at his mercy. But instead of killing me, he cursed me to live as a dragon forever. My smooth skin had been replaced with rough scales, and I grew massive fangs and claws. I had become a monster like him._

 _I could no longer return to my village or family, so I desperately sought out the greatest of warriors in all of Japan and challenged them to a fight. Even the emperor, himself, attempted to slay me one day in a glorious battle._

 _But none of their blades could even pierce my body. To my horror, I realized that the demon's magic made my armor impenetrable._

 _I finally asked the spirits of my ancestors for advice. They told me that in order to break the curse, I must find a warrior who possesses a pure soul. Only his blade could cut through my scales and end my life. But a pure soul is extremely rare to find, and it took me centuries to find a warrior worthy enough to free me from this curse._

* * *

"So you're saying that...I have a pure soul?" Mikey softly said as he pointed to his chest.

"Yes," the dragon responded with a gentle smile.

"Well, heh, I don't know about 'pure', lady," Mikey sheepishly grinned while rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, I do tease Raph to the point of making his blood boil. And I usually fight over the last slice of pizza instead of sharing it. Plus, I once lied about not stealing Donnie's x-ray goggle and using them to peak at Christmas presents."

"Believe me, young Turtle," the dragon insisted, "you _do_ possess a pure soul. How else could your kusarigama have cut my shoulder?"

"But what do my nunchucks have to do with my _soul_?" Mikey asked, pulling out one of his weapons and presenting it to the dragon.

"A samurai's sword is a part of himself. The blade is imbued with his very own soul. The same applies to you and your kusarigama."

Mikey activated his kusarigama blade and looked at his reflection. "Seriously?" he breathed.

"Yes, and only the purity of your soul can overcome the demon's dark magic. That is why I need you to destroy this accursed body and free my own soul."

Mikey cringed. "But wait...are you asking me...to _kill_ you?"

The dragon merely nodded, looking down at him with pleading eyes.

Immediately, Mikey shook his head and put away his kusarigama, shoving it back into his belt. "No way, I won't do it! I mean, it's not like you're _evil_ dragon like the one from my video game! That's completely different! You're not even a dragon! You're a _person_! And you want me to _kill_ you?!"

"I know it is hard," the dragon somberly said, "but I have no one else to turn to. It may be another thousand years before I can find another pure soul, maybe even longer." She laid herself down on the field, wrapping long her tail around her body. She lifted her head and stared at the stars twinkling above them. "I have lived a lonely life for so many centuries. My family is gone, and there is no place in the world for a monster like me. And I am doomed to live as a cursed beast for all eternity." She lowered her eyes, which were wet with tears. "Unless _you_ free me with your blade."

Mikey felt conflicted. He wanted to help the poor dragon/priestess, but he didn't want to actually slay her. He reflected on how he boasted about killing a dragon in his video game just hours before, and his heart ached with guilt. He thought that this little adventure would be just like _Slay The Dragon III_ : he'd search for the evil dragon, slay it, and then be hailed as the heroic, brave knight who rescued New York.

His late father and Sensei once told him, _"Be careful what you wish for, my son. For you may receive more than you bargained for."_

 _Got that right, Sensei,_ Mikey sadly thought to himself as he pulled out his nunchucks once again. The kusarigama blade popped out, and the dragon's face reflected off it. Mikey shivered as a chill went down his spine and his stomach churned. He looked back up at the dragon. "There really is no other way?" he quietly asked her.

"If only there were," the dragon said as she shook her head.

He tightened his grip on the nunchucks and bit his lower lip until it started to bleed. It was either to let the priestess live a lonely immortal life or to kill her and in doing so, free her from the demon's curse.

He finally made his decision and twirled his nunchucks. "Let's do this."

The dragon's eyes lit up with hope and she quickly stood on her feet. "Yes, at long last, I will join my family and ancestors." She bowed her head in submission, surprising Mikey. "Be quick, warrior."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up!" Mikey said while frantically waving his hands. "I can't just slaughter you like a sacrificial lamb or something!"

The dragon lifted her head and raised an invisible eyebrow. "You wish to slay me in combat instead?"

"One rule," Mikey held up a finger. "No fire breathing. 'Cause, you know, we ARE standing on someone's crops."

"Understood," the dragon's lips curled into a toothy smile. "But be warned, Turtle: this dragon will not go down so easily."

The dragon snapped at Mikey with her teeth, nearly gobbling him whole. Mikey jumped out of the way in time, but less than five seconds later, the dragon snapped at him again. Mikey helped as the teeth missed his face by a mere six inches. He didn't even have time to dodged the massive tail and was knocked off his feet.

Mikey grunted as he landed painfully on his shell. As he opened his eyes, he saw a giant claw coming down at him. The Turtle rolled away just before the dragon could sink her claws into him.

"Um, I changed my mind about the fire breathing!" Mikey shouted as he got back on his feet. But the dragon ignored his request and swiped a claw at him then another.

Mikey was becoming exhausted from all the jumping and dodging, and the dragon could see it.

"Why are you hesitating?!" she angrily shouted. "Use your kusarigama!"

He activated his kusarigama blades and twirled his weapon, preparing to strike. But he could not swing his arm, since he knew that the blade would hurt and even kill the dragon.

The dragon, on the other hand, did not wait and whipped her tail at him again. Mikey jumped into the air and landed on the dragon's long back. Like an untamed horse, the dragon tied to shake him off by twisting and writhing. Mikey tightened his hold on the dragon, though he started to feel a bit queasy.

 _Ugh, so this is what bull riding feels like..._

The dragon resorted to rolling over and nearly crushed the life out of Mikey. The Turtle's whole body ached and he felt sick to his stomach. But he didn't have time to rest as the dragon suddenly lunged at him.

Without realizing what he was doing, Mikey grabbed a nunchuck and aimed the blade at the dragon's lower neck...

The dragon froze and let out a raspy gasp as she felt something sharp slice her neck. She looked down and saw blood spurting out of her body and staining the grain red. Some of the droplets even landed on Mikey's face.

The Turtle slowly backed away and stared in horror as the creature slowly bled to death. Her limbs went limp and she fell to the ground with a thunderous thud. Her eyelids became heavy and she slowly closed them.

Mikey threw away his bloody kusarigama and ran to the wounded dragon, tenderly touching her face. "Dragon!" he choked, tears dripping down his freckled cheeks and landing on the dragon's closed eyelid. She felt the droplet hit her and slightly opened her eye, which was clouded with pain. But the sparking stars in the sky reflected off her dark pupil. It was a beautiful sight.

She attempted to smile at him, but she could only grin weakly. "Please," she said barely below a whisper, "do not feel sad for me. You have freed me from the demon's curse, and now I can finally be with my loved ones. Thank you...brave warrior..." She became very still and her eye dulled as her life faded away, the stars no longer sparkling in her pupil.

Mikey put a bloody hand to his mouth in shock. He had just killed a person. A _person_! He grabbed the sides of his head and started to hyperventilate.

 _I'm a murderer...I'm a murderer...I'm a murderer...I'm a-_

A small light from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He looked down and saw glowing pink petals flowing out of the wound in the dragon's neck. His jaw dropped as he watched more and more petals come out of the dragon's body and started to swarm around them. Soon all that Mikey could see was the color pink and the sweet-smelling fragrance of cherry blossoms filled his nostrils.

The petals suddenly dissipated and the dragon's body had disappeared. There was no blood on the ground where the dragon once lay. Even the blood on Mikey's hands was gone. A single petal fell down from the sky and Mikey lifted his head, his blue eyes widening and a small gasp escaping his lips.

Floating above his head was a young Japanese woman wearing a red _hakama_ and a white top, her long black hair flowing in the wind. Her face was incredibly beautiful and her brown eyes were full of kindness and gratitude toward the young Turtle. She warmly smiled down at him and held out a clenched hand. When she opened it, something small and black fell out of her palm and Mikey caught it before it could reach the ground.

Mikey observed the object in his hand and realized that it was a dragon scale. When he looked back up, the priestess was gone.

* * *

His brothers thought for sure that he was dead, but when he returned home the next morning, they immediately engulfed him in a tight group hug and bombarded him with questions. He calmly told them the incredible story of the cursed priestess and his fight with the dragon in the field.

He couldn't bring himself to play _Slay the Dragon III_ ever again and gave it to Casey, who gladly took it home with him. The hockey player refused to share the game with his little sister, of course, until his father would later force him to let her play under the threat of taking it away.

As for the black dragon scale, Mikey placed it on the shrine in the dojo, and every morning he'd pay his respects to both his father and the priestess who had been cursed for centuries until she was at last freed by the Worthy One.


End file.
